1. Field of the Invention
The object of the invention is a method for achieving an effective separation efficiency in which a material being transported is separated from a transporting air flow.
The object of the invention is also an apparatus for achieving an effective separation efficiency wherein a material being transported is separated from a transporting air flow.
2. Description of Background Art
The invention relates generally to pneumatic material conveying systems, such as to partial-vacuum transporting systems, more particularly to the collection and conveying of wastes, such as to the conveying of household wastes. Such systems are presented in publications WO 2009/080880, WO 2009/080881, WO 2009/080882, WO 2009/080883, WO 2009/080884, WO 2009/080885, WO 2009/080886, WO 2009/080887 and 2009/080888, among others.
Pneumatic material conveying systems wherein wastes are conveyed in piping by means of suction, a pressure difference and/or a flow of transporting air are known in the art. Pneumatic pipe transporting systems for material are used, among other things, for the conveying of wastes in different buildings, in institutions or in more extensive areas, e.g. in blocks or city districts it is typical to these systems that a partial-vacuum apparatus is used to achieve a pressure difference, in which apparatus a partial vacuum, a pressure difference and/or a flow of transporting air is achieved in the conveying pipe with partial-vacuum generators, such as with vacuum pumps or with an ejector apparatus or with fans. The wastes transfer from the input point along the piping together with the transporting air into a separating device which is e.g. a cyclone separator or some other tank, in which the material to be conveyed is separated from the transporting air. The transporting air exits from the output aperture for transporting air and the waste remains in the separating device, from where it is removed, e.g. according to need. The transporting air and the waste are typically brought into the chamber of the separating device tangentially, in which case a rotating movement is achieved in the separating chamber and the transporting air and waste to be separated circulate in the separating device typically near the walls, in which case the heavier waste remains in the separating device and the transporting air rises upwards from the center of the cyclone separator. One problem is that papers and thin plastics that are light and have a large surface area can sometimes ascend along with the ascending transporting air flow. There are often waste grades, e.g., waste paper plastic film, plastic bags, et cetera, along with the waste being transported, which waste grades, being unattached and lighter than the other waste, can block the output aperture for the transporting air of the separating device or other tank either partly or completely. A problem with a separating device, such as a cyclone separator or other tank, is therefore that with waste generally e.g. paper and thin plastic try to block the output aperture for the transporting air of the separating device. Problematic waste grades, e.g. paper and plastic, typically have a large surface area and low weight. These often cause problems for a separator because problematic waste grades float very easily to the output aperture for the transporting air. Efforts have been made to solve this problem by using various mechanical means, e.g. rotating brushes, to prevent blockage of the output aperture and, on the other hand, to remove rubbish that has gone into it. These have not, however functioned satisfactorily.
The aim of the present invention is to achieve a completely new type of solution in connection with the separating devices of pneumatic material conveying systems, by means of which solution the drawbacks of prior-art solutions are avoided. Another aim of the invention is to achieve a solution applicable in connection with a pneumatic wastes conveying systems, by the aid of which blocking of the output aperture of a separating device can be prevented more easily than before and, on the other hand, blockages of the output aperture for the transporting air of the separating device can be removed. Yet another aim is to achieve a solution, by means of which the separating efficiency of a separating device can be improved.